Star Light, Star Bright
by xsphinxslady
Summary: After the GMG Lucy and the Dragon Slayers were changed by the magic surrounding bringing the dragons forward. One night Lucy makes a Wish for the happiness of the friends she loves deeply...with unknown consequences.
1. Star Light

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_Disclaimer:__ Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima_

**_Star Light_**

Lucy Heartfilia was engrossed in one of her favorite activities: staring up at the stars and constellations decorating the night sky. Normally she does so with a happy heart, looking for the shapes that represent her friends from her keys and contracts like her mother taught her, spending time appreciating that she was born into a family with Celestial Magic.

Tonight was different. Tonight she studied the heavens with a heavy heart and saddened eyes.

Ever since they returned from Tenrou Island and then winning the Grand Magic Games and fighting the dragons so much has changed in the guild that she loves with all her heart.

Gray finally accepted Juvia's confession and returned it in kind after nearly dying for her.

Lisanna and MiraJane paired up with Bickslow and Freed to everyone's surprise at the first pair and relief over the second. No one had any idea that the younger Take-Over sister and the pervy Sith Mage had feelings for each other while _everyone_ knew that Mira and Freed were meant for each other.

Bisca and Alzack decided to start trying for a sibling for Asuka.

_Nab_ of all people finally accepted a job, having finally found the one that only he could do.

And so the world turned and life went on in the guild and Fiore.

**_Star Bright_**

Except for some of them, things would never be the same again after that last battle against the dragons.

Yukino's death nearly destroyed Sting, giving him a new maturity and desire to set things right in his guild: starting with taking over and casting out Jiemma and Minerva.

All of the dragon slayers were affected, their powers growing and changing after receiving an influx of power and dragon abilities from the magic of both the slayed dragons and from the magic that brought them forth.

And then there was perhaps the most changed of all: herself, Lucy Heartfilia.

Being forced to harness the power of the 12 Zodiac and the 13th Gate Key in order to bring forward the dragons through space and time changed her and her magic irrevocably. It created a bond with the keys and the Celestial spirits themselves that has never been seen before. No mage in the history of Celestial Magic has possessed the 13 Keys, not even the first Celestial Mage. And melding with them in order to close the gate and force the dragons back into their own time…let's just say there's little difference between Lucy and her Zodiac spirits anymore.

She can summon them with a thought if she likes or simply call up their power for her own if she prefers.

Having her magic raped and twisted in such a way, harnessing her to that machine, created something that was never meant to exist.

Lucy became a living Star.

Only instead of being up in the heavens, living in the Celestial Realms with Loke, Aries, Lyra, Capricorn, Plue, and all the rest she's here on Earth.

A lost Star, wandering the world all alone, cursed to have only glimpses of what should be her home through her friends.

No one is sure what would happen if she should die.

Will she rise to the heavens, come home to the Celestial Realm for good, have a new Key forged that will give her access to Earthland?

Or will her Star simply be extinguished?

A tear runs down her face as she stares up at the starry night sky. Through her bond with them she can feel her spirit friends send her love and comfort and hope. Her wonderful family of stars and spirits.

**_First Star_**

Sighing, Lucy knuckles away the lone tear.

Months have passed and her friends are adjusting as best they can. She worries for her Dragon Slayers more than for herself.

Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Laxus, even Cobra, Rogue, and Sting now that the last three have proven themselves to be true Slayers and good men. The seven of them were all changed by the dragon battle. Word reached her, a warning from Draco the Dragon Spirit by way of Loke, that they've become more dragon-like, have inherited an instinct from their improved magic that was never supposed to be theirs.

The instinct to take a mate.

Cobra, Rogue, and Sting already have taken mates with Cobra mating Kinana, and Rogue and Sting having jointly mated a powerful healing mage from their guild.

Wendy is still far too young to have to worry about it and when the time comes it's already apparent to everyone that Romeo is the young Slayer's desire.

But…

With Lisanna taken by Bickslow, MiraJane with Freed, and Levy finally accepting Jet…

Who is strong enough and brave enough to mate with her friends?

**_I See Tonight_**

Natsu needs someone who understands his fierce loyalty and can give him the same in turn. Someone who won't snuff out his sweetness and won't try and curb his wild nature. Someone who can love Happy as much as the Slayer does.

Gajeel deserves a woman who can accept his past without judging him for it. A woman who can bring out the softer inside of the tough man hidden by his metal scales and sharp edges. A woman who will challenge his iron control and force him to love as fiercely as he protects.

And Laxus…

Laxus may be the hardest and most challenging of all. He needs a challenge and understanding of his mistakes like Gajeel. But he also needs someone to bring out the sweetness that fuels his awkwardness like Natsu. He needs a highly sensual mate to match his own desires but one who will give him the sense of family he's fought so hard for. A mate to respect him and worthy of his respect in return.

**_Wish I May_**

Where in the world would three women like that be found?

All three of them need to be loved, all having been let down and abandoned by their fathers they need a true, loving mate who can heal their deep inner wounds.

They need the perfect, unconditional love that only comes from a soul mate, their perfect half who would never be whole without them.

**_Wish I Might_**

An ugly, selfish part of Lucy rears up over contemplating the ideal mate for the Slayers. She feels a connection to each of them and the idea of losing not just one but all of them to other women hurts her deeply.

Laxus while initially rude and power-hungry has always made Lucy aware of her own appeal as a woman and while pervy at times has always been the one man who has never been shy about expression a real, honest, attraction to her. He's fought beside her and fought to defend her against Raven Tail during the GMG, even coming to visit her in the infirmary. He's always been a man who's treated her like a woman and not a silly girl.

Gajeel tortured her but never broke her. Upon joining Fairy Tail he took her apart from everyone else and apologized while also expressing that he found her to be the strongest person he's ever met. The only one he couldn't break. He made it up to her and gave her confidence in her own strength as a person in ways another person never could. He's her friend and she's one of the only friends she has, something she is fiercely protective of, determined that no one abuse the trust of the tough dragon slayer.

And Natsu…

Natsu is her best and closest friend. He's her Natsu. He deserves nothing but the absolute best. And who will ever live up to that?

**_Have This Wish_**

Staring up at the stars Lucy remembers a little chant her mother taught her once upon a time. A simple, silly thing, but sometimes the best things are.

Perhaps if she's lucky someone up above might hear her and smile down upon her, knowing the great depth and breadth of emotion that sent up her wish to the heavens, and granting it for her and through her raining blessings down upon her friends.

All she wants is for her friends to be happy.

Surely that's not too much to ask?

After everything those three have done and all the good they will continue to do, they deserve nothing less than to be happy, to have their hearts' desires.

**_I Wish Tonight_**

Mouth firming she nods once, determined that she will do it, even if it comes to nothing. At least then the wish will be out there and maybe, just maybe, someone somewhere will hear it and answer her prayer for her friends.

"Star light, star bright,

first star I see tonight.

Wish I may, wish I might,

have this wish, I wish tonight.

I wish…that the male Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail, my friends and nakama Natsu, Gajeel, and Laxus each find their true, one soul mate before their instincts cause them to take whatever female happens to cross their paths when they go into their heat. I wish them happy as they can only be with their true loves.

Wish I may, wish I might, have this wish, I wish tonight."

Even if it means none of them find their happiness with her and she spends her life alone.

Because as much as she loves those three men, she would never be happy with another.

_A/N: Thoughts? This is just the set-up for my Lucy as a mate/Lucy-Harem fic. Not sure if I'm going to keep going with it or not, just an idea I had brewing in my mind and thought I'd put it out here and see if anyone likes it._


	2. The Morning Star

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima_

_A/N: Thanks everybody for your support and appreciation for my story idea. It really means a lot to me that people are so interested by what I've started and it's encouraged me to keep going with this and put a few of my other stories on the back burner. Thanks everybody!_

**The Star of Morning**

Lucy reached her hand across the silky smooth silver sheets as she cracked open her gritty eyes, a souvenir from her late night stargazing. Deep inside she felt her heart fall when all that met her stroking hand was cold, unrumpled sheets. Shaking her head as she dragged herself upright and sat on the edge of her wide bed, she rubbed her eyes trying to clear away the remnants of the prior night's tears.

Taking a deep breath she held it then let it out in an explosive burst from her lungs. She needs to be on top of her game today, her act at the guild needs to be flawless lest her perceptive friends catch wind of the heart ache that threatens to pull her under.

"He stayed away again?"

Feeling the tug on her magic Lucy looks up into black eyes burning with an inner flame and flecked with silver pinpricks that mirror the night sky. For all that his words were a question, his deeply rumbling voice made it more of a statement. His pale skin was almost iridescent with only a few tell-tale scales paneling his cheekbones and above his eyebrows. Flame-red hair with streaks of orange, yellow, white, and blue spiked up uncontrollably in the front and poured down his back before coming to a stop above his beltline in a fall of living flame. His frame was tall, taller than any other she's ever met excepting the Spirit King and Elfman, but it was ridged and ripped with muscle rather than packed with thick slabs.

But for all of that, it was his clothes that gave him away when they first met and would give him away to anyone in Earthland that met him. Light like silk and with a bright jewel sheen, the tight black pants and flowing black tunic were made of dragonscales with flecks of every color under the sun.

"He always stays away now." She told Draco, the Dragon Spirit. Despite being gifted his key after closing the portal while she was recovering – temporarily – in the Celestial Realm, she's never called him forward. He just comes, taking away a small fragment of the desolation she's felt in the growing distance between herself and her Slayer friends.

Of course if those Slayer friends ever got close to her these days they would smell a dragon all over her, Draco's scent being pretty much ingrained into her after all the time he's spent keeping her company and teaching her to better control and utilize her evolved powers.

Now there's a conversation she really doesn't want to have.

Because she doesn't have enough territorial males in her life the Dragon Key had to be a guy and not just any guy but one so frustratingly _male_ that he's guaranteed to set off the Slayers in ways Loke never has. Natsu would get irritated over the Lion's flirtatious ways but that will be nothing compared to how all three of them will react to Draco.

Or rather the old Natsu would get irritated.

As little time as she's spent with the Slayers since returned from the Celestial Realms, they probably won't even notice a new male spending time with her. Let alone care.

Taking hold of one of Lucy's elegant hands, Draco hauled her to her feet and pushed her towards the bathroom.

"Shower." He ordered, frustrated with the miasma that her friends' recent neglect has spread over the normally optimistic and cheerful woman. While his service is new, his awareness of the woman Leo has dubbed his "Princess" is _not_. Watching over Lucy is a common activity for the more powerful spirits since the spell over Tenroujima was broken.

Not a single spirit wants to lose her again, not for any amount of time, she is their morning and evening star.

"We're doing something different today." He called through the solid bathroom door as he moved into her closet to pick out something pretty but appropriate for her to wear. Quickly he took down a pair of tough but sexy leather pants, knee high boots without a heel, and a finely-crafted chain-mail halter, all in matte black. The thin strip of flesh between the shirt and pants would be fine and since her magic changed Lucy no longer has to wear a key pouch on her black weapon's belt, her keys being kept in a secured pocket of the Celestial Realm.

Walking out of the bathroom wrapped in her robe and toweling her hair dry, Lucy just raised a brow at the outfit laying on her bed as she heard Draco puttering about in the kitchen. Studying it she smirks. She'll look like her Edolas doppelgänger, Lucy Ashley: Supreme Ass-Kicker of Fairy Tail.

"What's this something different?" She asked him, not needed to raise her voice to be heard with his heightened senses.

"We're going to your guild together." He answered as she walks dressed into the kitchen, putting up her hair as she goes. "I think it's time you took a solo mission."

"There's no way they'll let me." She said matter-of-factly. "They've been walking on eggshells around me and babying me ever since I got back from your world, thinking that I've been permanently weakened or something. No way they'll let me take a solo job."

Draco just gives her a dragony smile filled with shiny teeth and sharp canines.

"We'll see."

Lucy balances carefully along the canal edge with Plue tottering behind her, her cheerful dog spirit changing places with Draco before they left the apartment. The last thing she needs in her life now that she's gone from just another member of the infamously-destructive Team Natsu to the quite-famous "Celestial Queen" as Sorcerer's Weekly as dubbed her following the disastrous end to the Grand Magic Games, is Draco following her around Magnolia and giving the reporters new material to speculate on her love life with.

The young and admittedly-naïve mage she used to be would've no doubt enjoyed all the intrusive attention that she's gotten alongside the Slayers and the now-pardoned Jellal for their involvement in saving the world from a hundred pissed-off and displaced dragons. A media frenzy that was only fed by her apparent "disappearance" while she was in the Celestial Realm since as far as the non-Guild members know is that she was gone for months with her Guild being uncharacteristically closed-mouthed regarding her location. By the time she resurfaced the reporters and paparazzi had had enough of being growled at and intimidated by the Slayers and were ready for a new topic to focus on: _her_.

Yippee.

And some of the Guild wonders why she spends so much time either shut-in at her apartment or training away from any sign of civilization.

Lucy banishes her unhappy thoughts of her invaded privacy as the large Guild Hall came into view, Master Makarov having promptly purchased it back following their win at the GMG. Smiling at Plue she sends him back to his world with a hug before slipping around to the back of the guild, wanting to avoid the inevitable brawls that always spring up in the main hall. Spying her favorite bar stool empty, Lucy darts around a whirling ball of who-knows-who fighting over who-knows-what and settles herself in with a sigh and a bright grin for Mira.

"Good morning, Mira!" She said, happily catching no sight of any of the now five Slayers that make Fairy Tail their home with the addition of Cobra. No dragon noses anywhere to question her.

"Good morning, Lucy!" Mira answered with a happy smile.

"Can I get a strawberry smoothie, please?"

Mira's smile shot from happy to ecstatic over the request, taking it as a sign that "their" Lucy is finally coming back to them. She hasn't asked for anything as simple as water since coming back with Loke. For months she's darted into the Guild, usually while it's nearly empty, and up to the Master's office and then back out of the Guild again before anyone could really register she was here at all. And those brief appearances only came about rarely, with Loke acting as a go-between for Lucy and Master for month after month.

No one is sure the extent of the damage or the consequences of Lucy's Song that closed the gate or using her to power it in the first place but every member of Fairy Tail has felt her absence deeply.

Even if there are a handful that have felt it deeper than the rest.

"Of course!" Mira shook off her reverie, quickly preparing the requested drink and setting it down in front of her blonde friend. "What brings you to the Guild today, Lucy? Finally tired of staring at the walls in your apartment?" She teased her gently.

"Something like that." Lucy chuckled as she sipped at her smoothie. She hopes that this goes as smoothly as Draco seems to think it will.

"Well I'm glad to see you." Mira told her with a gentle look in her eyes. "Whatever the reason."

Lucy caught her breath for a minute at the understanding pouring from the Guild's resident "big sister." Even if no one else ever forgives her for distancing herself from the Guild for a time while she dealt with the fallout of her choices, having Mira on her side means a lot to her.

"It's wonderful to see you, Mira." Lucy replied beaming. They chatted lightly as Mira worked the bar, polishing glasses and ducking the occasional missile launched from one fight or another.

It's just another ordinary day in Fairy Tail, made all the brighter by their Celestial Mage once again joining them, even if hardly anyone has noticed the change brought about by her presence they all feel it.

Thanking Mira for the smoothie and the conversation Lucy moves over to the large request board. Rather than the nearly-empty thing from before the Games, this one is once again overflowing with requests for the country's top Guild. Running her eyes lightly over the various requests that range from the simple to the outrageous Lucy searches out the one Loke told Draco about following the Lion spirit's visit to the Guild yesterday.

There it is.

Taking it down carefully, Lucy ran the heavy vellum between her fingers.

_Help!_

_Bandits are destroying my tenants' crops and stealing their livestock._

_Apprehend the outlaws and turn them into the Magic Council._

_Location: Duke Duncastle's holdings (Between Crocus and Magnolia)_

_REWARD: 100,000j and two silver Celestial Keys_

The reward isn't _that_ great since it would normally be a two-to-three person job but the silver keys make it worth her time and trouble, she hoped. New friends are always worth her time.

Nodding briskly to herself she decided to try for it. The worst Master could say it no.

"No." Makarov sat with his arms folded sternly over his chest as he swung his legs back and forth over the edge of the desk that he's sitting upon rather than behind. "Absolutely not."

"But, Master…" Lucy said wheedling.

"No, Lucy." He shook his head slowly, a deep frown carving lines into his pugnacious face. "I can't allow it. You're still recovering. Wendy said that it would be months if not years before you will be completely recovered from your ordeal. I will _not_ allow you to take any solo missions."

Lucy gave a frustrated groan. "Wendy." She said letting her irritation show. "Doesn't know anything about either my condition or my ordeal. I was taken by Loke to the Celestial Realm _for a reason_. Do you really think _any_ of them would've let me come back before I was healed?"

Makarov can't dispute that, although he's tempted to try. As one of the Ten Wizard Saints he knows much about the many, many different types of Magic but Celestial Magic is so rare as to be a Lost Magic and little is known outside of the ever-dwindling circle of Celestial Mages. With Yukino's death, his sweet Lucy is believed to possibly be one of the last mages of her kind left on Earthland. Celestial Mages are more secretive regarding some aspects of their Magic than any other, even Dragon Slayers.

"Then tell me why you've refused all offers of missions since you've returned to us, child." Makarov said carefully.

Closing her eyes, Lucy gave a sigh. Somehow she thought it would come to this.

"My magic…changed. Evolved. Because of my 'ordeal' I had to relearn almost everything about being a Celestial Mage. In fact I'm not strictly considered a Celestial Mage any more in the traditional sense." She held up one hand, stopping him when he would've interrupted and asked questions she doesn't want to answer at the moment. "The time since I came back has been used training and centering myself all over again. Something that would have been impossible with my former team or anyone else around but me and my spirits to distract and hinder me."

That was something Makarov could understand. Natsu is problematic on his best days…and lately those have been few and far between.

"My child…"

"Please, Master." Lucy broke in quietly. "If I think I'm over my head I'll return before completing the mission. But I need to be tested in a real situation, not in a controlled environment with my spirits. I _have to know_ what I can do now. I have to know."

"Very well, my child." Makarov stared at her with sad eyes. "If you won't take another with you, at least take a communication lacrima in case you should need assistance beyond that of your spirits."

Watching as he noted the mission under her name in his copy of the guild's job register, Lucy agreed. A lacrima was infinitely preferable to an extra person that might get in the way or worse, be injured if Lucy either isn't powerful enough to do the job alone or if her control weakens and injures a bystander. At least if she loses it around a bunch of bandits, there's going to be no innocents around for collateral damage.

She hopes.


	3. The Dragon Constellation

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima_

_Thanks everyone for their continued support and encouragement! Here's another chapter of my Lucy/Dragon Slayers fic._

**The Dragon Constellation**

In a secluded forest glade halfway between Sabertooth and Fairy Tail, the six male Dragon Slayers met privately, far away from any prying eyes. Wendy would've attended this meeting, and often does, but this time the topic is one far from appropriate for the young girl.

Likewise, Sting and Rogue left their mate at home as did Cobra.

The three mated Dragon Slayers called this meeting for one very specific – and private – purpose. They need to talk to the unmated Slayers before the three idiots turn dangerous from their newly-inherited instincts.

Luckily for them, they each had a prospective mate close to them when their mating instincts kicked in with a vengeance. Even if Sting and Rogue got into some vicious fights over their mate before they understood the concept of sharing.

Dragon Slayers _can_ share a mate. It's the _will share _that usually keeps them from it, Slayers being just as possessive as their scaled counterparts. But when faced with a female or male that is truly meant to be shared they usually give in and learn to live with it. Usually being the key word.

But the three _idiots _from Fairy Tail are still refusing to even acknowledge the fact that they are either already starting the mating process or are soon to start.

And that's a state of affairs too damned dangerous to continue, no matter how stubborn, irritated, or just plain dense the three idiots are being.

It would be one thing for their instincts to spiral out of control with a woman they know, someone like Cana the Drunk for example, and something else entirely for them to randomly pounce on a complete stranger. Which is exactly where they all three are headed if they don't get a handle on what's going on with them before the situation gets any worse.

After greetings all around – and the obligatory fight between Sting and Natsu – they got down to business.

"Alright, we're all here." Laxus said folding his arms across his head with a scowl. "What's going on?"

Trading a glance with Cobra and Rogue, Sting asked a mock-innocent question.

"Hey, Natsu." He said with a smirk. "How's Lucy been?"

Growling savagely under their breaths, Natsu, Laxus, and Gajeel all trade confused looks over their reactions. Natsu being confused only because Laxus and Gajeel are growling, it being normal for him to take offense at anyone's interest in his bestfriend.

"Or don't you know?" Sting added when no answer seemed to be forthcoming.

"Luce is fine." He said after a deep snarl at Sting's second question – and what it implied.

"How the fuck would you know?" Gajeel lost his last bit of patience – not that he has much these days – at Natsu's reply. "You haven't been around Bunny Girl for more than a few seconds at a time since she came back from the Celestial Realm."

"Like you have?" Laxus pointed out, scowling deeply. "Nobody from the guild has been around Blondie since she came back except Gramps. And even he only sees her once a week at best."

"I…" Gajeel trailed off, a blush forming on his cheekbones at what he's about to admit. "I go past her place sometimes on my way home from the guild or a mission. Just to make sure she's doing ok. And so do you, Sparky, so don't even try and start any shit with me over it. I can smell your fucking scent all over the streets around her apartment."

Laxus just shrugs. He has no problem admitting about being worried over the little blonde. She's a beloved member of Fairy Tail, a member of his family, and he's not going to let anything happen to her after all that she went through to protect everyone.

"You…and you…?" Natsu can't even form a complete sentence as smoke begins to trail from his nostrils. "What the fuck are you two doing around my Luce?!"

"_Your Luce_?" Sparks began crackling in the air around the massive Lightening Slayer at Natsu's words. "How is she _your Luce_ when you've avoided her every fucking day since she came back?"

"At this point she's more mine or Sparky's than yours." Gajeel threw in with a growl as his red eyes burned into Natsu's fiery grey gaze. "While we haven't talked to her much since she's been back at least we've made sure she's watched over. Protected. That's sure as shit more than you've done, Fire-Ass."

Enraged by both their words and that they've been hanging around Luce, Natsu sucked in a breath to bbq their asses before getting knocked down and pinned by Sting and Rogue.

"And this, gentlemen." Cobra said smugly, arms akimbo. "Would be why we called for this meeting."

"You called this meeting because Natsu's a dumbass?" Laxus asked with a skeptically raised eyebrow, Gajeel punctuating the question with a snort as he crosses his pierced arms.

"Were you guys just listening to yourselves?" Rogue asked, irritated from his place keeping Natsu under control. "Especially you two." He pointed to Laxus and Gajeel.

"You were all fighting over little Lucy." Sting said, huffing as he kept his hands firmly over Natsu's mouth to keep him from attempting to flash-fry them all. "You're all being possessive, protective, irrational _bastards _and it's all over one woman: Lucy."

"And while that might be normal for Flame-brain." Cobra said as he moved to help the other two keep Natsu under control. "It most definitely is _not normal_ for you two."

Natsu stilled as what they were trying to say – without actually coming out and saying it like sane people would – swept through his brain. He thought furiously for a long minute along with Laxus and Gajeel, as everything they've been told about mating by the other Slayers churned through their minds.

Laxus was the first to say something in the wake of the other Slayer's words. And the first thing he had to say was a question.

"Natsu…how do you feel about Lucy?"

The Fire Dragon Slayer was surprised by the question – but not that Laxus would think to ask it. Laxus comes off as socially awkward, and a lot of times he is. But he's also highly intelligent and the oldest of the Slayers. He would have the wherewithal to not just wonder about something but to act on it.

Throwing off the other Slayers, Natsu sat up rubbing his head wearily as he answered.

"I don't know." Seeing the other Slayer's impatience over his answer he elaborated. "Luce is my bestfriend. And I love her. I've protected her from the day we met and I would do anything for her. But things have changed and now I'm confused. I don't know if how I feel about her is how I'm supposed to feel about a mate. I don't think I'm _ready_ to have a mate."

Gajeel scoffed at the Flame-Idiots last statement. "None of us are _ready_, _baka_." He pointed out. "And I'm sure none of them were ready either. But it's going to happen and we need to figure this shit the fuck out before we hurt someone."

The other Slayers were uncomfortable but not surprised at what the Iron Slayer had to say.

"He's right." Sting said, ignoring the looks from Rogue. "I definitely wasn't ready. Not after Yukino. But when your body and your instincts decide that it's time for you to take a mate _ready_ just doesn't come into it."

Rogue nodded solemnly as Cobra said something shocking to the others.

"I was ready." He disagreed with what Gajeel said about him at least. "I was more than ready. I'd loved Kinana for years by the time we fought the dragons and taking her as my mate was the most natural thing in the world for me. I would've thought it would be the same for you, Natsu."

Natsu laughed bitterly. "You would think." He nodded climbing back to his feet. "But mine and Luce's relationship has never been that cut-and-dried. Plus I'm not the only one in this situation. Apparently those two assholes think they've got a claim on Luce too. And that doesn't sit well with me."

"If you'd pulled your head out of your fucking ass when Blondie came back," Laxus spat at him. "Neither Gajeel or I would be in this situation and feeling these things for her. She would've been mated and marked by now, not still running around smelling sweet as shit and ready to be taken."

"Gods is she ready to be taken." Gajeel moaned under his breath as he rubbed the back of his neck as he felt himself harden at the memory of her scent.

"Instead of claiming your mate," Cobra felt the need to hammer the point home since Natsu is the one most likely to lose his shit if the Celestial Mage winds up mating more than one Slayer. "_As you should have_, you left her alone and completely avoided her because _you weren't ready._ As a result Laxus and Gajeel picked up your slack in looking out for her and now she has three, count them _three fucking Dragon Slayers _wanting her mate her."

"You did this, Natsu." Sting said quietly, understanding the turmoil the Fire Slayer is going through. "Now the three of you are going to have to go to Lucy and try and figure this out. And you need to do it soon before things get any worse."


	4. Evening Star

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima_

_New Poll is up on my profile page for who readers think Lucy should end up with._

_I hope everyone enjoyed the look into what's going on with the boys! Now back to Lucy…_

**Evening Star**

"_It's not much of a life you're livin', it's not something you take: it's given." – from "Stay" by Rihanna._

Humming lightly to herself Lucy walked at a smooth, brisk pace down the forest path leading to the Duke's demesne. Virgo took care of packing for her before Lucy even left the guild and whisked her things away to the Celestial Realm to hold onto them for her.

Her Spirit family really is the best a girl could ask for.

Although…

"I wondered when you two chickens were going to show up." She teased as a warning tingle alerted her to Spirits entering Earthland near her. One of the side-effects of her new symbiotic state with the Celestial Realm is being able to sense when Spirits are close whether they're contracted with her or not.

"I resent that, my Princess." Loke huffed as he popped up next to her, flowing flawlessly into step beside her. "_I'm _not the one that promised to meet you at the guild and then got distracted."

"I wasn't distracted." Draco grumbled with a scowl at the dapperly-dressed overgrown house cat. "I was waylaid by _your girlfriend."_

"Girlfriend?!" Lucy stared at the Lion, incredulousness covering her pretty face. "_You _have a girlfriend?"

"I could have a girlfriend if I wanted. I could have a dozen girlfriends if I wanted." Loke said, pissed off at Draco's jab. "Which is irrelevant because I do not have a girlfriend. My beautiful mistress owns my heart." He finished waving his "I LOVE LUCY" flag above his head while the other two chuckle at his antics.

"Sure." Draco drawled. "But does _she_ know that?"

"Who? Who?!" Lucy was nearly bouncing in excitement as she walked. There's nothing more that she wants than for her friends to be happy and the thought of the Lion settling down even a little is a very big deal to her.

Seeing the looks passing between the two Spirits – Loke's sheepish and Draco's smug - she crosses her arms and scowls at them.

"Tell me!"

Draco just chuckles again and moves up ahead of his companions, leaving Loke to get himself out of the mess the Dragon made for him. Suitable payback for trying to get him in trouble with their Princess to begin with.

"I've been seeing Lynx." Loke mumbled under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck as a blush rises on his cheekbones.

"Ohh." Lucy said after a moment. Thinking quickly she asked: "She's the Wildcat Gate, right?"

Loke nods. "She's the only other Spirit with a Feline aspect besides Leo Minor."

"The Lion Cub?" Lucy thinks furiously. "That's not your son…is it?"

He nearly chokes in embarrassment. "He's my brother." He said once he got ahold of himself.

"Well…" She said, giving him a smile. "I'm happy for you then. I always thought maybe you had something going on with Aries…"

"No," Loke shook his head ruefully. "That's like you and Gray, she's more of a best-friend/little sister than a love interest."

The Ram Spirit is sweet but far too shy to deal with dating the Lion. That would be a relationship destined for failure.

"As much as I like making Leo choke in embarrassment." Draco breaks in. "We're nearly there, time to focus."

Lucy nodded, taking the mild admonishment to heart as she took her fleuve d'etoiles from her belt and beginning to channel small amounts of energy into it as she scanned her surroundings for signs of the bandits.

"When we find them I want you two to stay back." She ordered, speaking quietly. "I need to see how well I've integrated the powers I've gained and how quickly I can summon the others in an actual battle."

"Aww." Draco cried jokingly. "Our Princess doesn't love us anymore, Leo. She wants to keep all the bad guys for herself."

"Speak for yourself, Dragon." Loke joked back. "Princess will always love _me_. You on the other hand…"

"Tch." Lucy said with a mock-scowl. "Such troublesome Spirits."

"Then perhaps the little girl would allow me to take them off her hands!" A raspy male voice boomed out from the trees just ahead as the rest of the bandits moved to surround the trio. Moments later the voice's owner moved out from the shadows, causing Lucy and her Spirits to laugh.

For such a big voice, the bandit leader is a little man around the size of Gramps. Lucy understood at once what he meant by taking her Spirits off her hands as she caught sight of a pair of silver keys jangling from the belt at his waist. Thick black hair in an unruly mane and a large black and silver mustache nearly concealed the weather-worn features of the mage.

"A fellow Celestial Mage, hmm." Lucy said sweetly, tilting her head to one side and placing her index finger to her mouth as if thinking, appearing completely unperturbed at being surrounded by a dozen men armed with weapons. After a quick study it seemed the only mage of the group was the leader, although she wouldn't know for sure until the real battle started. "That's funny, in all these years I've only met two others besides myself, now you're the third."

"It's a rare skill, little girl." The bandit growled at her, taking in the sight of the two Spirits flanking her, eyes bright at the thought of obtaining such powerful tools. "One that you must not appreciate if you think using the greatest weapon of the Zodiac, the Leo, merely for company."

Hearing the little man disparage her friend as nothing more than a weapon riled Lucy's temper as little else does.

"Loke is not just a weapon." She growled low in her throat as her eyes took on a magical cast. "Perhaps you're the one that doesn't appreciate what you have in your Spirits. I would be more than happy to give them a new home once I've defeated you and your little group of thugs."

"Big words from such a little girl." The mage answered her, taking a key from his belt. "But can you live up to them?"

Before he could summon the Spirit, Lucy struck out with her whip, flicking the key from his grasp and slicing deeply into his hand. As he cradled his hand grasping at the wound, pain clouding his mind, the leader could only watch as the little girl he diminished and disparaged called out.

"Taurus! Scorpio! Round them up into a circle!" She called out as the two additional Spirits answered her summons. Loke and Draco keeping an eye on the battle and the enemy mage as requested. When one of the other bandits began glowing with fire magics, Lucy whipped around to face him and casting out one hand cried:

"Regulus Blast!" Knocking him out cold with her "borrowed" powers from Loke.

"What is she?" The enemy mage at their feet gasped as he watched the little girl take out another mage with one hit.

"She's our Princess." Draco said, pride in his student shining in his night-sky eyes. "She's the Morning and the Evening Star, ruler of the Zodiac."

Once all the bandits were collected Lucy gathered her power and began to glow with an eerie light as she chanted, utilizing the spell that once was so difficult to master and was now nearly second-nature.

_Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens..._

_All the stars, far and wide..._

_Show me thy appearance..._

_With such shine._

_Oh Tetrabiblos... _

_I am the ruler of the stars..._

_Aspect become complete..._

_Open thy malevolent gate._

_Oh 88 Stars of the heaven... _

_Shine!_

_**Urano Metria!**_

Lucy watched in satisfaction as the 88 orbs of light knocked the bandits unconscious, all except the other Celestial Mage that remained under guard by Loke and Draco. Dismissing Taurus and Scorpio with a smile, she let her face turn into a granite-hard stoic mask as she crouched next to the fallen man, picking up the key she whipped from his hand from the ground.

"Celestial Spirits," she hissed at him with a glare. "Are people. They have thoughts, emotions, and dreams. They feel pain. They love, and bleed, and _live._ They are not tools or weapons to be used and abused by creatures like _you_!"

Continuing to glare at him, she grabbed the other key from his belt and studied the pair as she tried to decide her next course of action. Finally making a decision, she bound the mage's hands in magic cancelling rope and bade him to watch what she does next.

Calling up her magic, she felt herself connect to the Celestial Realm and she held out the keys firmly. No one is supposed to be able to call forth another's spirits but she thought she just might be able to manage it with her new powers since Gemini could do the same when she copies a Celestial Mage.

"I am connected to the Realm of the Celestial World! Hear me now, O Spirit, and follow my path. Come through the Gate! Orion, The Hunter and Canis Major, The Big Dog!"

A blinding flash of light followed by the baying of a large dog reverberated through the forest clearing, resounding for miles around.

Lowering her hand still gripping the keys, she cocked her head studying the two Spirits that answered her call.

Orion was a handsome, tall and muscled man, clad entirely in brown leather with a spotted leopard skin cloak hanging from his shoulder. With classic features and piercing brown eyes gazing out from under messy sandy brown/blonde hair, he was the equal of Loke and Draco for being good looking. Strapped across his chest was a quiver of arrows, with the accompanying bow grasped firmly in one gloved hand.

At his side was The Big Dog…and a big dog it was. Unlike her little Plue, Canis Major was a very large Great Dane in smoky grey-blue with ice blue eyes. Tall and heavily muscled like the human companion at his side, the dog must've weighed a good two hundred pounds and been over six-feet tall on its hind legs.

After examining the Spirits before her, Lucy spoke.

"Do you know why I've called you forth?"

"Yes." The deep rumbling voice matched the gruff appearance of the Hunter. "Our Master was defeated in battle by you and now you seek to take us from him."

Canis Major barked in agreement with the other Spirit's words. The sounds was as deep and masculine as the human's voice.

"No." She said surprise everyone present. "I'm not going to take you from him. Instead I'm going to ask you a question. Do you want to stay with him?"

"Pardon?" Orion was flabbergasted. Like all Spirits he's heard of Leo's mistress, but this was beyond strange even for the kind-hearted girl who befriended Spirits and calls them family.

"Do you want to stay with him?" She asked again, patiently. "Is he a good Master? Is he kind to the both of you? I'm giving you a choice." She added, kindness shining from her big brown eyes. "It's up to the two of you whether you stay with him or come with me. I would never force you."

Orion shared an incredulous glance with his longtime hunting partner at his side. Neither has ever even heard of a Spirit being given such a choice before.

Draco and Loke grin at each other. Leave it to their Princess to ask instead of just take as any other Celestial Mage would have done. Especially in the case of a guild mage vs. a dark mage.

"We will join you," Orion and Canis Major bow deeply. "Princess."

Lucy laughed as the mage behind her started to curse as she sorted out the details of the contracts with the two Spirits and then dismissed their keys to the Celestial Realm with the rest of her keys. Leaning down she scratched the large dog behind his ears and spies his name written in script on his wide leather collar: Sirius.

"Welcome to the family, Orion," Loke nodded to the two Spirits. "And Sirius. Princess we should get these bandits to the Rune Knights and collect your reward from the Duke." He reminded her gently.

"Of course." With a soft smile for her two new friends she dismisses them back to the Celestial Realm and recalls Taurus to do the heavy lifting of carrying the now bound-and-gagged bandits to the Rune Knights.

Moving over to her side Draco rested one hand on her shoulder as she walked behind the bull, Loke having returned to his home once the bandits were all taken care of and in Taurus's custody.

"You did well, Princess." He whispered in her ear, teasing her hair with his breath. "That fight barely drained your power since you stopped the mages before they could attack."

"I'm glad I did." She said, giving him a sad look. "I hate fighting against Spirits. He would've called out Orion…that was the key on the ground. Who would I have had to pit against him to win?"

Draco thought for a minute, thinking over what he knew of the Hunter.

"Myself, Leo, Capricorn, Ophiuchus…one or two others that aren't yours yet." He admitted after a moment. "The Hero Keys are the strongest of the silver keys next to myself. You would've had to fight him yourself with your improved powers or called on one of us to fight in your stead while you dealt with the other bandits."

"The Hero Keys?" She cocked her head for a moment, thinking of which keys he could mean.

He nodded as the Duke's manor came into sight.

"There's several different groupings of Silver Keys, Princess." He said patiently. "The Heroes, Monsters, The Ladies, Argo Navis…"

"Let me guess." Lucy said, getting excited. "The Heroes are Orion, Perseus, and Hercules?"

Draco grinned at her, nodding in approval over her figuring out which constellations belonged to the grouping.

"The Hunter," he spoke as he let himself drift back into the Celestial Realm as they came up the Duke's gates, his voice echoing in Earthland for Lucy to hear. "The Hero…and the Demigod."

Once Taurus turned over the bandits and Lucy collected her reward she started towards Crocus, deciding that it would be easier and faster to walk the shorter distance to the capitol city and take a train than to walk all the way back to Magnolia on her own. Excited down to her toes over finding out more about the Celestial Spirits and gaining two new friends from the bandit in addition to the two included in her reward. She could barely restrain herself from tearing into the leather pouch that held the keys until she reached the concealing embrace of the forest surrounding the Duke's lands.

Glancing around her to make sure the coast was clear, she ripped open the case, taking out two tarnished keys. Trailing her fingers lovingly over the silver, she studied each one learning its curves and etchings.

Deciphering the engravings she let out a startled gasp.

"I'll be damned." She breathed.

Grinning now, she held out the key that surprised her so severely and repeated the summoning phrase. Only this time she ended with:

"The Lion Cub! Leo Minor!"

Leo Minor appeared in a burst of light similar to his brother's Regulus power and with a mighty, echoing roar.

When the spots cleared from her dazzled eyes, Lucy found herself looking at the figure of a younger Leo, except instead of a mane of orange hair, Leo Minor had a light, tawny mane to pair with his green eyes. The younger Leo also wore a pair of ripped black jeans and an unzipped black leather jacket over his rippling chest and abs. He had all the cocky assurance and good-looks of Leo only matched with a bad-boy flare instead of a playboy suavity.

"Princess," Leo Minor bowed low one hand on his bare chest over his heart. "It is an honor to serve such a gorgeous Mistress."

Lucy couldn't help but giggle when Leo popped out of nowhere and smacked his younger brother upside his head.

"No flirting with my Princess, Lev." Loke growled at his brother. "Behave yourself. For once."

"But brother dearest," Lev straightened as he mocked his brother. "I do believe now she's _our _Princess."

Loke just snarled at the young cub. Bad enough he has to share her with Draco, now she's found Orion _and_ his troublemaking little brother. This is turning into one hell of a shitty day for the Lion spirit.

They worked out Lev's availability: "Whenever your lovely self desires, Princess." And powers: "Leonis Shadow Magic, opposite of my brother's Regulus Light Magic." Then Loke dragged his brother back to the Spirit Realm so his Princess could finish making her contract with the last key she acquired that day. Before he left, Lev put aside his jokes and flirting for a moment.

"Don't forget to call upon us as a team." He said seriously. "Loke and I might fight each other constantly, especially for your heart, but there doesn't exist a more powerful team than us. Not even the Heroes are our equal."

Promising to remember she blew them a kiss goodbye, just to watch in amazement as the cocky young Lion blushed.

Sighing and stretching her neck she took out the last key and one she's looked for ever since leaving her father's house: The Gate of the Winged Horse, Pegasus.

After leaving Natsu deep within the forest to try and pull his head out of his fucking ass, Laxus and Gajeel started back towards Magnolia and home.

The two stoic dragon slayers watched each other warily from the corner of their eyes, deeply uncomfortable now that they've been honest over wanting the same woman.

"What is it about her you like?" Surprisingly Gajeel is the first to crack. "Why do you want her for your mate?"

Laxus thought for a moment, tempted to just take the easy way out and say "everything." Although that would imply that Lucy is perfect and while she's many thing she's not an angel or vision of perfection. No, she's a real flesh and blood woman, one who's not afraid to get her hands dirty. He couldn't deal with someone who expects to be put up on a pedestal or admired from afar.

"She's real." He said after a long moment. "I've wanted her since the first time I saw her in the Guildhall and I've made no bones about it. In fact I think I scared her a little." He laughed. "But then I scared a lot of people back then. I did a lot of bad shit in the name of being the strongest."

Gajeel just grunted at him.

"At least you never tortured her."

The Lightening Slayer just gave his companion a look.

"She's never held that against you any more than she's held my bad shit against me. She's strong, and kind and fierce."

"And sexy as fuck." Gajeel threw in with a laugh. "Those curves of hers are killer."

Laxus just laughs along with the Iron Slayer at that. Those dips, valleys, and curves on Lucy could be classified as lethal weapons.

Their joint laughter is cut off abruptly as they hear a crash and a baying howl echo through the forest. It was miles away but chilling in its power.

"What the fuck as that?" Gajeel barked, turning towards the sound as they came to a halt.

"Fuck if I know." Laxus admitted. "I've never heard anything like that before."

Exchanging a look they come to a tacit agreement to investigate the sound. It's out of their way but sounded too serious to ignore.

Gajeel phased into his shadow form as Laxus lit up with his Lightening. Moving at speeds only reachable by dragon slayers, they covered the miles quickly only to come to a startled halt at a surprising scent. One they definitely didn't expect to come across all the way out here.

"Is that?" Gajeel asked taking a deep breath through his nose, trying to separate all the conflicting scents coming from the forest trail.

"Yeah, it's Lucy." Laxus gritted out. "What the fuck is she doing all the way out here without her team?"

Shrugging they continued forward along the path at a brisk jog only to nearly fall in a jumble to the ground when Gajeel stopped suddenly without warning, making Laxus crash into his back.

"What?" He snarled.

"Smell that?"

Laxus cast around for the scent that's got Gajeel's panties in a wad.

"That's that fucking Lion's scent." Laxus said with a growl. "So? At least she's not all the fucking way out here on her own."

"Not that." Gajeel snarled under his breath as he placed the third scent in the road, his crimson eyes beginning to burn with rage. "There's a third scent. A Dragon's scent."

Before Laxus could respond, sparks firing all around his body, a piercing roar echoed through the forest coming from the other side of the Duke's manor between them and Crocus.

A Lion's roar.


	5. First Star of Night

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail._

_I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter! And here it is at long last: Lucy meeting up with Laxus and Gajeel (no NaLu moments on the horizon as yet)…_

**First Star of Night**

_If you were a window and I was the rain_

_I'd pour myself out and wash off the pain_

_I'd fall like a tear so your light could shine through_

_Then I'd just fade into you._

_From "Fade Into You" – Clare Bowen & Sam Palladio_

Lucy shrieked with joy as the glowing white figure of Pegasus rocketed down from the sky like a falling star. After completing their contract the white winged horse that was about twice the size of a normal large horse, he offered to take her for a quick flight to help her shed her worries from the day. No sooner had Lucy clambered up onto his wide back and settled into the curve of his neck than he took off: shooting straight up into the twilight sky.

After what Lucy figured was about a half-hour she tapped him on his neck, telling him to take her down. Whinnying in agreement he set down in a clearing near the forest glade she summoned him in. Rubbing one hand along his neck she thanked him for the ride before sending him back to the Celestial Realm. As tempting as it was to simply ride him all the way back to Magnolia she had an errand to run in the capitol city before heading home.

Thankfully she's only a couple miles from the outskirts of the city if she continues cutting through the forest, since now that the sun has set night is falling quickly.

Not that she's afraid of the dark by any means, there's not much out there that's more terrifying than the Slayers she calls her friends.

Besides that, what more is there that the bad guys of Earthland can throw at her?

She's been kidnapped more times than she likes to think about. Tortured. Threatened, beaten, and abused. She's been made powerless in the wake of having her keys stolen. She's watched as her friends were harmed and nearly killed. Nearly killed herself dozens of times. Had her magic hijacked to power multiple machines of mass destruction. Had her magic and mind raped to further someone's agenda. She's stared down both Acnologia and Zeref.

Honestly, short of actually killing her…what else can the world throw at her?

With that thought running through her mind she gave a bitter smile. What does it say about her life that it's easier for her to call up a list of the horrors of existing than the joys of living?

Heaving a sigh she shook her head, her long blonde hair now irreparably mussed from her flight with Pegasus. Thankfully the rest of her is still put together decently, otherwise she might have trouble finding an inn to take her tonight in Crocus.

Starting off at a comfortable jog, Lucy'd covered about half the distance to Crocus when she began to feel a tingling, not unlike that of her more powerful spirits, at the edge of her consciousness. Keeping her eyes open and searching through the gloaming, she took hold of her regular whip not wanting the bright glow of her fleuve d'etoiles to light up the burgeoning darkness and give away her readiness for whatever waits in the shadows. And something or someone was most definitely out there.

Picking up her pace she began to hurry, hoping faintly to reach the lights of the city before whatever is coming her way finds her. She's had enough of fighting for one day between her physical battle from earlier and refereeing the constant squabbles between some of her Spirits. While she loves the new closeness she shares with her Spirits, the ability for the most powerful handful she's contracted to just pop out whenever they feel like it can get aggravating.

Hopefully Lev doesn't take after his older brother in trying to peep on her in her shower…or changing…or bathing…or anything that might involve even semi-nudity. Perverted lion.

She could restrain them. It's within her power to bind them to the Celestial Realm unless summoned by her. But she would never do that, would never hinder their freedom that way. No matter how tempting it is when she suddenly has an amorous Loke perched on her bed.

Virgo and Draco can enter the human world similarly. Only time will tell if any of her new Spirits are powerful enough to do the same although her instincts tell her that while Lev might be capable, Orion definitely is.

Draco did say that the Hero Keys are the most powerful of the silvers next to himself. Something else that needs investigating, this "grouping" system that seems to exist. She wondered if perhaps some keys are more powerful when they're all bound to the same mage, like having all the Zodiac has done or what Lev said about him and Loke being the most powerful pairing.

The earlier tingling she picked up on flared to life as the hair on the back of her neck began to stand on end and electricity began to dance around her body as if charged. The air itself felt heavy, as if waiting for something and her instincts screamed that a creature hunted her from the shadows.

Lucy felt the air in her lungs freeze in her throat. Whatever it was it was dangerous and it was after her.

Before she could summon one of her Spirits she heard an ear-deafening sonic boom and the darkened sky lit up for an instant, revealing a pair of red eyes in the shadows.

She laughed in relief as the streak of lightening – the cause of the charge in the air – came to a screeching halt mere feet in front of her and the figure in the shadows joined it.

"Laxus!" She scolded with a mock frown on her lovely features, one hand propped on her hip. "Gajeel! You two scared the life out of me! I thought there was something big and nasty after me and the whole time it was you two."

Gajeel just growled searching their surrounding as he has been for the last mile for the owner of the scent that hangs around Lucy. Other scents had muddled it in places and in the glade where they almost lost her trail was completely absent of it. But it still covers her, coming from her very body.

Which has done nothing but piss the both of them the fuck off.

"What are you doing out here alone, Lucy?" Laxus asked, strictly controlling his need to rub his scent all over her, overriding the scent of the other dragon. "We've been tracking you for miles ever since we heard some strange sounds in the forest. But we haven't caught even the faintest scent of your team."

Lucy sighed. Well at least it was Laxus and Gajeel that found her alone in the forest at night and not someone like Erza. The lectures would've never ended in that event.

Although…

Being all alone in the dark with two Dragon Slayers that haven't taken a mate yet might not be the best place for a woman…

"You two of all people should know that I'm never really alone." She said gently, pushing past them and continuing toward her destination only at a walk this time. "My Spirits are never far away."

The Slayers each sucked in a startled breath as her lush body brushed against them as she pushed herself between their bodies. Each was instantly swamped with waves of unrelenting need as her scent – even as drenched in eau de dragon as it was – washed over them.

She nearly halted at the twin growls coming from the Slayers. With all she's been through, Lucy's survival instincts are excellent – and those are the sounds of predators that have spotted prey. Feeling the hitch in her breath, from excitement or fear she doesn't know, she set her jaw and kept walking.

It's easy to forget sometimes with the very normal quirks all of the Slayers have – Laxus's flashes of awkwardness, Gajeel's singing, Natsu's naivety, Wendy's sweetness, Cobra's devotion – that at heart that is what all the Slayers are: predators. Apex predators nonetheless. When it comes to the food chain, Dragon Slayers are at the very top.

And they all know it.

Giving away, even for a second, that she responds to that primal part of them would be her undoing. Running like the bunny-girl Gajeel named her is tempting, oh so tempting. And it would be disastrous. Laxus or Gajeel…or both…would hunt her down and have her naked and panting so quick it would make her head spin.

She'd be mated and marked by the time the first star comes out if she can't keep herself together, wet panties at the thought of it aside.

Falling in behind her, Gajeel allowed himself to be mesmerized by the sway of her hips and her luscious ass for a few long moments before speaking to her for the first time in a long time.

"You haven't been around the Guild much." He said, ignoring the surprised look she cast him over her shoulder. "Are you ok, Bunny-Girl?"

Laxus shoots him an unsure look, confused for a moment about the tactic the other Slayer is using. Then it occurs to him that getting her to talk about what she's been doing could lead them to who she's been doing it with.

Like the fucking dragon scent that's all over their possible mate.

"I know." Lucy sighed. "It's not that I've been avoiding everyone…it's just that…"

"You've been avoiding everyone." Laxus finished for her with a chuckle. "It's ok, Blondie. Not like either me or Iron-Face here are going to judge you."

Gajeel snarled at the nickname before agreeing. "Yeah. We're not exactly prime examples for social behavior. But you are. Or used to be. Got a lot of people worried about you, Bunny."

"Thanks guys." She sends them a small smile over her shoulder as she keeps walking forward. "It's just…doing what I did, it drove home a lot of the bad things I've been through. Things that I've never had time to deal with since I've spent the last couple years going from one messed up situation to the next adventure to the next near-death experience. Never really had time to process it all…you know?"

Laxus and Gajeel just trade guilty glances. They were both responsible for some of those bad situations and near-death experiences.

"No!" She said at once when she catches the tail-end of their looks. "I didn't mean it like that, honestly I didn't. I forgave both of you a long time ago for the stuff you did. I just needed time to deal with everything else."

"Like what?" Laxus asked, eager to get to know more about the sweet-and-sexy woman.

"My father dying." She said after a long moment, thinking about the main source of her grief following their return from Tenrou. "I came really close to giving up when I was tied to that machine. And the main reason was knowing that it wouldn't make much of a difference either way. Besides a few close friends I don't have anything here anymore. When most everything you care about is somewhere else it makes it hard to want to stay where you're at."

Gajeel stopped her with one hand on her arm, spinning her around to face them as the lights of the city came into view.

Laxus moved up behind her and enveloped her shoulders with his hands, effectively caging her between the bodies of the two large, muscled men.

The two Slayers shared a long look over the lowered head of the beautiful blonde, silently agreeing to give her something new to care about, to show her that her being there, with them, does make a difference. Agreeing to give her a reason to stay.

Even if it means having to share her.


	6. Stardust

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail_

_I'm going to take a moment to give a shout out to Trinity531's wonderful story "A Moment With You"…the Feels! Oh my goodness the feels are heartbreaking they really are…_

_And now back to Star Light…_

_Clare: "You might as well be the devil_

_Oh keeping me out past three."_

_Sam: "Oh you're the one with that apple_

_So baby, you can't blame me…"_

_- From "If I Didn't Know Better" Clare Bowen with Sam Palladio_

**Stardust**

Boxed in by the large and muscled bodies of Laxus at her back with his hands on her shoulders and Gajeel pressing against her front, stroking his callused hands down her arms, Lucy felt her strength weaken and her body threaten to go into total meltdown.

_Don't mind that puddle…it used to be a pretty blonde mage who fell in love with some Dragon Slayers…_

She could see the stories now.

Helpless against her own pent-up desires she shivers lightly as she felt her body flush from their closeness after the long drought of affection and physicality she'd grown used being around Natsu. Before the Eclipse Gate and the Grand Magic Games, Lucy would've been embarrassed by this kind of attention from men but it wouldn't have rocked her to her soul like it's doing now. Having a touchy-feely best-friend with no concept of boundaries was good for something after all, and in the case of Lucy and Natsu it had made her nearly immune to physical closeness from men.

Unfortunately being used to having Natsu so close and then being forced to live without so much as a hug from anyone but her Spirits for close to a year has made her yearn for touch the way a flower seeks the sun.

Stupid Natsu, giving her something she's never had and then taking it away, making her want touch and affection – two things in very short supply in the Heartfilia Household after her Mother's death – and then leaving her to struggle on without it, supremely aware of what she's missing.

Her betraying shiver did not go unnoticed by the highly aroused males surrounding her and breathing in her scent. Already baited by the dragon scent lingering around Lucy, seeing and more importantly to them _smelling_ the upward spiraling desire that's threatening to take over the beautiful blonde, had them trapping her more thoroughly between them as they closed the mere inches separating her lush body from their own hardened masses.

Completely surrounded by the two Slayers, each a foil for the either with their differing looks and almost-matching physiques: Laxus's massive form vs. Gajeel's tightly ripped V, Gajeel's piercings vs. Laxus's tattoos, Lucy let out a shuddering breath as she felt them press themselves against her, rubbing up against her slightly, just enough for her to be well aware of how tightly wound they are. Just enough pressure enclosing her for her to know how close they are to losing control of their instincts.

Dropping her head back Lucy gave a shuddering moan as their heat and their damn _maleness_ encompassed her, chasing away the last dregs of loneliness that no amount of attention from her Spirits could alleviate and banishing the lingering bruises Natsu's absence as left on her self-esteem. The two rock-hard erections pressing against her paid homage to her desirability, to her femininity.

Laxus moved his hands down from her shoulders, one gripping her hip as the other stroked lightly at the slice of her stomach revealed by her top as he placed one hot, open mouthed kiss after another along the expanse of her smooth neck revealed by her head dropping back against his chest. Red eyes burning at her responsiveness to their attentions, Gajeel linked her hands with his as he applied himself to the side of Lucy's neck left neglected by Laxus. Both Slayers kissed and licked and nipped at her supple skin as she was held up only by their bodies pressing her own insistently between them, her legs having given up on keeping her upright as the two sexiest men of her Guild paid such ardent service to her newly-discovered erogenous zone.

Breathing harshly in her ear, Gajeel left her neck unable to torment them both any longer with the desire to mark her for his own pressing against his conscience. He can't just _take_ her for his own without gaining her acceptance first. Gently he nipped at her ear lobe, drawing a fresh gasp from between her rose-kissed lips. Sensing that Laxus was close to the line, Gajeel growled low in warning.

Smelling the new edge of arousal that perfumed Lucy's scent at Gajeel's wordless threat, Laxus lifted his head and bared a fang at the other man despite Lucy's whimper of objection, her thoughts of everything but the desire the two men created in her wiped clean under their ministrations. Leaning back down Laxus whispered in her ear.

"This isn't the place for this, beautiful."

Opening her dazed eyes, Lucy glanced around her flushing as she realized that she just let not one but two men do naughty things to her body out in the open. Looking back and forth between the two of them she remembered sharply _why_ she let them pin her between them and do what they will: she loved them. Not only that but as she studied the high flush of desire on their cheekbones, the dilated pupils, and the straining hardness of their arousals, but for whatever reason they want _her_ of all women. If there is a woman that can resist a pair of such shiver-worthy men with the heat of want in their eyes then Lucy takes her hat off to her because that woman is made of far sterner stuff than Lucy herself.

The men waited and watched as she came back to herself, impatient to know her reaction to their well-meant if ill-timed advances. Both hoping that their action won't set them back further in their plans to win her. When she finally spoke after calming her breathing and regaining her normal upright posture it wasn't what they expected from her.

"Wow." She breathed as she turned in their arms to look at them both fully.

That was it. Just "wow."

Laxus and Gajeel exchange a confused look for a split second, both having braced for a slap at the least. After a moment they both chuckle under their breaths.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Laxus said with a devastating grin.

"Likewise." Gajeel smirked, reaching out and flicking one hand down his crotch to rearrange himself. "You pack one hell of a punch, bunny."

Laxus just groaned under his breath in agreement, shifting himself unobtrusively.

"Thanks," Lucy ran her hands through her tousled hair, trying to remember what she was doing before getting all tangled up with the two slayers. "I have to go." She said at last recalling her errands in Crocus.

The men trade a glance. They still don't know what's going on with the other dragon's scent and it could be dangerous to leave her alone with their scents now thoroughly imprinted on her – for the moment at least. This strange dragon could attack her in a fit of rage or jealousy and it would be their faults for leaving her.

"Mission not over? Because we could help with that." Gajeel hazarded a guess. It was the only thing he could think of that would bring her through the forests between Magnolia and Crocus, the train being much faster if all she was after was shopping or some other girly-assed thing.

"No…" she drawled, trying to come up with a way to shake the two of them without being obvious about it. "I already dealt with that."

"Yeah, we found the spot with all the different scents." Laxus said, placing one hand at her back and ushering her into a walk as Gajeel fell into step with her and took her hand. "Lots of Spirit scents in that forest." He noted.

"You can tell that?" She asked, distracted for the moment. "That a Spirit was there and not just another person?"

"Different magics have different scents." Gajeel said with a shrug, ignoring her attempts to reclaim her hand and shrug off Laxus. "And those Spirits of yours smell _really _different."

"Some of them more than others." Laxus added. "Loke's scent is barely different than a normal mage's scent. But some of the others…yeah, they smell like things that have no business being on Earthland."

"Hmm…" Lucy hummed under her breath, filing that information away for later.

"So where are we going?" Gajeel asked as they came to the outskirts of Crocus, the heavy scents of too many people in too small an area fogging up his nose. He fucking hates big cities.

"_I_," Lucy stressed the word. "Am going to an inn and resting for the night before running a few errands in the morning. _You two_," she gestured to the unmovable masses flanking her with her free hand, Gajeel being stubbornly attached to the other like a leech. "Are going back to Magnolia or the dark side of the moon or Bosco for all I care at the moment."

Grinning at her show of temper, Laxus moved his hand from her back to throw his arm around her shoulders in an embrace.

"Nope." He said cheerfully ignoring her fierce glare. "You're not getting rid of us that easily."

"Sparky's right." Gajeel added, squeezing her hand gently with his own. "Until you're back at the Guild all safe and sound you're stuck with us. Call us your own personal guard dragons."

Muttering under her breath about stubborn-pigheaded-dragon _bastards_, Lucy steers them towards a nice section of town that houses her favorite inn, stomping and scowling all the way there.

Walking up to the check-in desk Lucy at last succeeded in removing herself from the clutches of her new "guard dragons" so she could talk to the clerk. Thankfully it was the younger niece of the owner and not the genteel elderly gentleman himself. Lucy doesn't even want to consider how embarrassed she would be checking in with her stalkers in tow if Mr. Yammata was reading behind the antique mahogany desk this evening instead of Yukio.

"Good evening, Ms. Heartfilia!" Yukio said brightly greeting the younger mage with barely a glance at her companions. "The same room?"

Flicking Laxus and Gajeel an annoyed glance, Lucy sighed.

"No, thank you Yukio." She said politely. "I'll need one of the suites tonight."

"Ah," Yukio said, checking the register. "Gommen, but the only available suite is _that _suite."

Lucy restrained her desire to grimace. Perfect. Just lovely. _That suite _is just what she needs to round out the roller-coaster of weirdness that was her day today.

"We'll take it." Laxus said, interrupting the two women while Gajeel nodded firmly from Lucy's other side. "Three keys, please. We'll need dinner delivered to the room as well." Handing over the jewels for the room, Laxus accepted the keys from the pleasant older woman and together with Gajeel steered Lucy towards the stairs.

Over her shoulder Lucy called out apologetically to the kind woman. "You might want to make that enough dinner for five. They're dragon slayers."

Nodding in understanding Yukio just watched, somewhat concerned, as the young woman's two large companions escorted her up the stairs. She wasn't sure if she should be worried…or envious of her guest. Sighing over the musings of an aging woman, Yukio shrugged and sent the order for room service to the kitchens. It's none of her business, after all.

"Okay, Lucy." Laxus said after they were all comfortable in the large suite. _The honeymoon suite _to be exact. At least the mammoth-sized bed that took up the majority of the decadently-appointed bedroom was large enough to accommodate all three of them. Finding beds big enough for his bulky frame can be a pain in the ass, although he's willing to admit that Elfman has it worse in that regard. "Inn? Check. Dinner? On the way. Now's the time when you tell us what's going on."

Lucy hid a grimace as she sorted through the things Virgo delivered in one of her suitcases after they entered the room. The "helpful" maid Spirit managed to pack a complete wardrobe filled with nothing appropriate for Lucy to wear to bed…not if she wants to leave this room still a virgin at least. Little bits of nothing, lace, and silk was all the bag had to offer for sleepwear. Freaking fantastic.

Virgo even provided changes of clothes for the guys…but only tiny boxer-briefs for them to sleep in: black for Laxus and metallic grey for Gajeel. Lucy swore that the pink-haired maid must have a bet riding on what happens in this room or something, the sabotaging Spirit!

"Hmm?" She murmured under her breath, studiously not paying attention to the two men in the room with her.

Gajeel and Laxus traded an amused look. She'd barely said two words to either of them since they insisted on accompanying her. They just weren't sure if that was over what happened on the road or because they refused to leave her to her own devices.

Sauntering over to where she knelt on the floor sorting through the suitcase, Gajeel bent over and picking her up tossed her over one shoulder in a fireman's carry. Squeaking in dismay, Lucy flailed though it was useless. She had all the effect of a fly buzzing around a horse. With an effortless show of strength he tossed her back over his arm and onto the couch next to Laxus then sprawled out beside her, trapping her between them once again.

"Now's where you tell us what's going on." Laxus repeated patiently.

Growling at them under her breath she runs her hands through her at-this-point irreparably damaged hair. Dominating assholes.

_Mmm…dominating…_

_Shut up! _Lucy screeched at her inner-hussy. Furiously she locked down that hormonally-driven part of her that the men on either side of her are so very good at riling up. Before…just before, Natsu was the only one who could draw that side of her out. Natsu…

Shaking off those thoughts, she huffed out a breath and leaned back, absent-mindedly resting her head against the overlapping arms that the two men had stretched out over the back of the couch.

The Slayers shared a pleased look over growing comfort in their presence.

As she inwardly debated with herself over what to tell them, they could smell lies after all, a knock sounded on the door. With a look at Gajeel to protect Lucy, Laxus arose and opening the door invited the room service waiter in to set up the meal at the dining table in the breakfast nook portion of the suite. After telling him that they would leave the dishes in the hall when they were finished and tipping him generously, Laxus moved over and tugged Lucy up off the couch.

Stumbling a little she falls forward into his arms, bracing her hands on his well-developed chest to break her fall as Gajeel watched with heated eyes.

When the two of them talked about possibly, _maybe_, sharing her as their mate both were staunchly against it…at first. But the more they each watched her interact with them one-on-one and as a pair…the easier the idea became for them to force past their pride. Gods know she has a big enough heart for both of them.

It's become readily apparent to them both that it will be less a question of _can_ she accept them both and more _will_ she.

And then there is the omnipresent Natsu-issue to deal with.

Chuckling lightly, Laxus took the opportunity to give her a quick hug, wrapping her up in his arms, and then swings her up to carry her bridal-style over to the table. Following with a quick "gihi" Gajeel made himself wait patiently along with Laxus while Lucy made herself a plate – no small thing for territorial and possessive dragon slayers. They're the dominant ones in any situation so for them to sit back and wait for her…whether she knows it or not it's a massive statement of intent.

Knowing what was one his counterpart's mind, Laxus reached over to one of the plate almost hidden from Lucy's view and after studying it a moment plucked up something from it. Catching onto what Laxus had up his sleeve, Gajeel gazed across the spread with a discerning eye before selecting something himself. Wordlessly they each held out their selections to their Lucy as she watched them with curious eyes. Seeing what they were offering her, Lucy gave a little happy hmm before smiling and thanking them as she took the treats: a chocolate-covered strawberry from Laxus and a plate holding a piece of strawberry cheesecake from Gajeel.

Happy that she accepted their gifts, the two dragon slayers tucked into their own meals with smiles hovering just under the surface of their bad-boy masks.

Finished with her own meal, Lucy delicately took a bite of her cheesecake as she watched the slayers work their way through the rest of the food the waiter brought up. Figuring that there would never be a better time to tell them what's going on without them interrupting, Lucy licked her lips and then spoke.

"The mission was just a rouse." She said softly.

Gajeel looked up from his place across from her and shared a long look with Laxus before nodding for her to continue as they slowly continued to eat.

"It was a reason to get me out of Magnolia without anyone questioning where I was. Loke picked the mission days ago and made sure it was hidden until I was ready to go. It was perfect really," she shrugged her shoulders. "The location was between Magnolia and Crocus and no one would ever question my wanting the keys as a reward."

"How'd you get Jiji to sign off?" Laxus asked the question that had been bugging him ever since they picked up her scent earlier. "The whole Guild has been thinking you've been severely weakened. Jiji wouldn't just let you traipse off on a solo mission."

"That's because Wendy _thinks_ I've been weakened." Lucy said, frowning over the necessary deception of one of her favorite people. "She hasn't been allowed to examine my magic levels at all since I came back. I explained a few things to Master and he agreed that I needed to "test" my new skills in a real scenario. I agreed to carry a communication lacrima and abandon the mission if I thought it was too much."

"I'm thinking there wasn't much "testing" going on with your magic." Gajeel said drily, pushing his empty plate aside. "There was barely any signs of struggle in the forest. If it wasn't for those Spirits of yours making so much noise we never would've been any the wiser that you were out there."

Lucy grimaced at that, rolling her eyes. "That couldn't be helped. Most Spirits believe in making "a grand entrance" the first time they're summoned by a new Master. And Sirius and Lev are two of the loudest there are."

"I thought that was Loke earlier." Laxus commented. "One of the reasons we pushed so hard to find you. That was the roar of one pissed off lion."

She chuckled, thinking about the byplay between the brothers.

"Nope." She grinned, scooting back from the table with the men and leading the way back to the couch. Reaching the comfy piece of furniture she sat down in the center with her legs folded gracefully underneath her as her companions made themselves at home on either side of her. "That was Loke's little brother. His key was one of the rewards from the mission."

"Good for Loke." Laxus said, neutrally.

"I needed to come to Crocus because there's two things I need to get done that I can't do in Magnolia. My Spirits worked hard to set this up so I couldn't just blow off their work to go back to the Guild with you."

"Like?" Gajeel asked crossing his arms and raising one studded brow.

"There's a pair of books I need to pick up from a specialty shop here," she said vaguely. "And someone I need to meet. Someone I need to meet _alone._"

"Silly Bunny." Gajeel grinned. "There's no way you're getting rid of us that easily."

"Well I can't have the two of you hanging around when I go to this meeting." She said stubbornly, pushing out her lower lip in an adorable little pout.

With a loud bang! and the scent of stardust, Lucy felt a pull on her power as one of her Spirits appeared.

Stepping through into Earthland, Draco studied the dragon slayers that went from relaxed to furious in two-seconds-flat with a stoically-blank gaze.

"Perhaps I could suggest a compromise…" He drawled in amusement.


	7. Chasing A Shooting Star

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail_

_**Author's Note Please Read!**__ Here's my dilemma: I originally began this story planning on pairing Lucy up with all three of the Dragon Slayers and I still want to but the response for the Laxus/Gajeel portions has been amazing. So…that being said here is a mini-chapter if you will, focusing on Natsu and what's going on with him, where his head's at, etc. Depending on how I feel at the end of this chapter AND your reader responses I'll make a decision about whether Natsu will be sharing Lucy or if he won't be getting his happy-ever-after in this story after all._

**Chasing A Shooting Star**

With a heavy heart and a confused mind Natsu walked slowly away from the meeting with the other dragon slayers. Everything about him shouted of his downtrodden frame of mind: from his slumped posture to his weary steps to his dull eyes, Natsu Dragneel had lost his inner fire.

One thing kept echoing through his mind over and over again until he thought he'd go mad from it.

"_This is your fault, Natsu."_

"_Your fault, Natsu."_

"_Your fault…"_

He'd wanted to blast them into next week when they laid this whole mess on him: Laxus and Gajeel thinking that they have a shot at Luce and everything. He'd wanted to just start swinging and take care of the lot of them and be down with it. He'd wanted to fight. To yell and scream and curse.

To deny every accusation.

He wanted – wants – to fight.

But how do you fight the truth?

They were right. Every single one of those assholes with their smug looks and their righteous accusations. They were all right.

There's no fight, no challenge for him to take on that will suddenly turn the clock back so he can make liars out of them. There's no way to go back and change what is into what should have been.

They were right.

He has avoided Luce, his Luce, ever since she came back from the Celestial Realm. He has stayed away from the Guildhall when he scented her near. He has refused to go see her, even for a moment to make sure she's really ok. He has given her the privacy she's always seemed to want: staying out of her fridge, her apartment, and her bed.

He's been dying inside, a little more each day that he stays away.

They were right.

But not once during the four months she was in the Celestial Realm when he refused to ask about her nor in the six months since when he's avoided her has anyone, not one single soul, asked him _why_.

The way everyone's been acting around him, culminating in that fucking intervention he just left, one day he just upped and stopped giving a fuck about the most important person in his life. Like his love for his Luce is a switched that he could just flick and turn off in the blink of an eye. They've tip-toed around him, careful not to mention anything about her in his presence, as if his heart turned to stone overnight.

No one ever asked him what happened.

No one ever cared to know what was wrong.

No one ever tried to understand what he was going through to make him act that way.

Happy, of course, was there every second to support him and support him he did. He even kept to the vow of silence Natsu imposed on him about what's been happening to him.

Everyone thought that the mating instincts are a new and unforeseen complication of the dragon slayers' increased powers. And they're right…to an extent.

But what Natsu knows, although it seems like he's the only one, is that all dragon slayers had had the potential to go into a mating heat the whole time once they went through their human puberty. If he had to guess the reason he was aware of that part of himself while the others were not…he'd have to say it was his inner beast that he gained the knowledge from.

Every slayer has one: that inner beast. The primal, predatory, mass of instinct and drive that has a hand in shaping each slayer. Some slayers are nearly normal in their instincts and drives. Rogue and Wendy are good examples of that. They're not less powerful per se than other slayers but they are less primal and instinctual which can really only be seen in a fight. Natsu would bet that their inner dragons are mostly silent.

Then there's him. The opposite end of the spectrum. Natsu lived wild after Igneel disappeared, as did Gajeel. And it shows. They're close to their beasts, secure and completely at ease with the animals that live inside their skin, Natsu most of all for while Gajeel was moving up the ranks of Phantom Lord and learning to become a machine, Natsu was still running wild albeit with more supervision.

And Natsu learned from his beast, integrating that most primal and powerful core into himself something he proved when he took down Sting and Rogue at the same time. The day will come as his power continues to grow and mature that he will take down Gildarts, someday even Laxus. Because he knows himself one day Natsu will be the most powerful mage in Fiore.

Because he knows himself he stayed away from his Luce when everything inside of him screamed for him to claim her, to make her his forever.

He's known for a long time going back before Tenroujima that Luce was his mate. They were drawn together like magnets that day in Hargeroen and they spent little time apart since until Loke took her to the Spirit King to heal her wounds and help recover her spent magic. He knows Luce as well as he knows his beast.

Which is why he resolved to keep those two most essential parts of himself apart.

Luce deserves the perfect knight in shining armor from those stories she likes so much. Or maybe her very own Prince Charming.

Yeah, he likes that.

Luce is a Princess, she deserves nothing less than a Prince.

She definitely deserves more than a beast walking on two legs.

And that's all Natsu will ever be.

He might as well chase a shooting star as to think he will ever deserve to love and be loved by his Luce.

Because she deserves nothing but the best.

And the best is a damned sight more than what he will ever be.

_A/N: Thoughts? Too OOC? I know it's not like Natsu to doubt himself…ever…but I thought in this case it fight with what is going on in the story. After all, even the best heroes sometimes have a crisis of faith…_


	8. Tricky, Sabotaging Spirits!

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_A/N: Well….here it is after much debating on my end over how I wanted to do this: Draco vs. the Slayers. Also in this chapter Lucy has a serious discussion with Laxus and Gajeel over what's going on._

**Tricky, Sabotaging Spirits**

Lucy had a rather frantic look on her face as she switched her horrified gaze from her Dragon _Slayers _to her Dragon _Spirit._ _Wonderful, _she thought sarcastically to herself. _Just what I needed to round out the weirdness that is today: a show-down between Draco and my friends._

"No." She said firmly, climbing to her feet and placing herself between Draco and the still-seated Slayers hands up and out warding them off. "You guys are _not_ doing this macho-territorial-_bullshit_. Not tonight. I'm exhausted." She continued, frowning at the three males. "I'm sore and tired and I just want to go to bed."

"As my princess wishes." Draco said with a smooth bow Loke would envy. "I merely came to suggest that I could accompany you to your meeting tomorrow and then your…friends…could go with you to the shop and then home to Magnolia."

Cocking her head she thought it over for a second before turning to face the still-growling men on the couch. Hands on her hips she arches a brow.

"Well?" She pushed them for an answer. "Will that work for you two?"

"Who is this guy, beautiful?" Gajeel growled low in his throat as a more-coherent Laxus questioned Lucy.

_At least I've been upgraded from Blondie._ Lucy thought errantly before answering him.

"This is Draco, the Dragon Spirit." She said with a wave towards the male in question. "He's one of my newer friends."

"How new?" Gajeel asked, getting ahold of himself and his instincts.

"Since before she came back from the Celestial Spirit world." Draco answered for his Princess.

"When you say Dragon…?" Laxus trailed off, not sure how to word his query.

"She means Dragon." Draco gave them a fang-filled smile. "All Dragons including me have human forms. We just usually don't choose to spend much time in them. But this form," Draco waved a hand towards his front. "Is a lot easier to navigate Earthland with a semblance of anonymity than my Dragon form would."

"Well?" Lucy asked again, tapping her foot in annoyance as the males ignore her. "Is he a suitable "guard-dragon" or not?"

Laxus and Gajeel traded a wary glance. Draco was still a male in his prime near their prospective mate…but he's a spirit. Lucy's Spirit. If any of her Spirits was ever going to be competition for her affections it would've been Loke but Lucy is staunchly against any sort of romantic relationship to her Spirits, something the whole Guild is well-aware of. Plus now that they know she's not in any danger whatsoever from the strange dragon's scent surrounding Lucy…they could ease up a little bit.

"Straight to the meeting and back." Laxus ordered, folding his massive arms across his tattooed chest. "No side trips, no "oh look, how pretty" distractions."

"Just straight there and back." Gajeel said, reinforcing Laxus's decision. "Or we'll take it outta Dragon-boy's hide."

Rolling her eyes, she agreed then gave Draco a hug for offering to escort her tomorrow, despite the rumbling growls that started up again at the show of affection. Lifting her off her feet while keeping his dragony-gaze on the slayers at all times, Draco lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered:

"Ask them about the food they handed you." He advised, then lowering her back to her feet poofed back to the Celestial Realm.

Confused Lucy looked over at the two men that have wormed their way thoroughly into her life over the span of a day.

"Did you hear that?" She asked slowly, as she moved back to her spot between them. Furrowing her brows in confusion she lifted her legs up onto the couch and tucked them underneath her as she leaned against Laxus's side without even noticing it.

Encouraged and amused at how easily Lucy is adapting to having them around, Gajeel raised a brow at Laxus, then both shook their heads. Whatever the Dragon said to their pretty mate, he pitched it too low for their amped-up senses to catch.

"No." Gajeel said simply, untucking her legs and lowering them across his sprawled thighs so she was basically lying on the two men with only her ass safely on the couch. "Why?"

"He told me to ask about those sweets you two gave me at dinner." She told them, snuggling deeper into their encompassing warmth. "Why would he do that?"

Shocked, the two slayers stared speechlessly at each other, a single thought reverberating through both of their minds.

_Tricky, sabotaging, fucking Spirits!_

*l*l*l*l*l*

"Ummm…" Helplessly Laxus stared at his partner-in-crime, trying to come up with a good cover story on the fly. When they did it, it never crossed his mind that she would ever _ask_ about it…at least not until she was firmly marked-and-mated as theirs.

Lucy _hates_ having decisions made for her. Finding out that they've started the mating process without even _mentioning _it as a possibility…

Yeah…

She's not going to take this well.

"Lucy what do you know about Dragon Slayers?" Gajeel just shrugged when Laxus gave him a stern look. She's going to find out one way or another. He'd rather she learned from them inside of someone else. That would just make the whole thing that much more difficult than it really needs to be.

She just laughs then began listing off things.

"You're territorial, powerful, and secretive. You all have a different element that you use as a base for your power and you need to eat that element along with massive amounts of regular human food. You each are very different, as different and diverse as your elements. Males all have a need to be the toughest and strongest and often fight to prove it." She teased them, reminding them off all the times all the guys have challenged each other.

"What else?" Laxus prompted her as he started working the knots out of her shoulders and Gajeel worked on her feet and legs, soothing and arousing her all at the same time.

"Hmm…" Lucy just about purred when they started up with the massages. "You can sometimes absorb each other's attacks and use them as a power-up similar to a unison raid but it can make you sick sometimes if you absorb the wrong attack. That's kinda what happened during the dragon battle." She murmured sleepily, eyes nearly closed and missing the startled look the slayers exchanged. "You guys absorbed some of the dragons' powers and got a lot stronger…but you got other things too. Things that weren't meant to be yours."

She was almost asleep when Laxus abruptly spun her around to face him, making her eyes shoot open. Hands on her shoulders, he stared deep into her big brown eyes, his stormy blue-grey as serious as Gajeel watched them closely, moving until Lucy was once again pinned between the two men.

"How do you know that, Lucy?" Laxus asked her, his voice quiet. No one is supposed to know about that, not even the Magic Council. The need for secrecy about what happened at the battle was the main reason the slayers have been meeting in the middle of the forests all around Fiore for the last almost-year. They were all keeping track of the changes that have occurred for each of them and making sure that above all they stay in control and off of the Magic Council's and Dark Guild's respective radars. Well…more than they already are.

"I know a lot of things I'm not supposed to know." Lucy answered him in kind. "The seven of you aren't the only ones with secrets they need to keep. I learned all kinds of things in the time I was gone and then in the time since."

With a gentle nudge of Laxus's hands, Gajeel turned his Bunny to face him.

"What did you learn about our mating instincts?" He asked with a strange look in his red eyes. One that Lucy couldn't quite place.

"I know that the two of you and…and…Natsu," she stuttered over the name. "Are the only Slayers that are of age that haven't mated yet. And I know it's dangerous that you haven't. I even…" She trailed off blushing. She can't believe she almost told them about _that._

"You even…what, beautiful?" Laxus whispered against her ear as he pressed his chest against her back, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Leaning forward, Gajeel pressed his advantage, nipping lightly at one ear and listening to her gasp.

"I wished on the stars that the three of you would find your mates." She whispered bashfully, blushing furiously. "I wished that you would all be _happy_. And that you would find who you really belonged with." _Even Natsu._

Backing off at her confession, Gajeel told her the truth, staring her dead in the eye.

"There's a series of rituals that male dragons and dragon slayers go through when they've found the female they want to mate. The order is pretty much up to the male but they always go through all of them."

"One of the big ones is offering the chosen female food." Laxus said, lifting his head from its spot resting on top of Lucy's. "It's a sign that the male is willing and able to provide for the female and their possible offspring."

"You mean…" She trailed off staring into Gajeel's burning red gaze. "Both of you…?"

Gajeel gave her a predatory smirk. "We wouldn't be the first Slayers to share a mate."

"And since neither of us is inclined to give you up to the other…" Laxus said, giving her a burning kiss to her bared neck.

"Sharing is really our only option." Gajeel finished, stroking one finger over the becoming blush on her cheek.

"What about…well…everything?" She asked befuddled by the feelings they're pulling out from the boxes she'd shuffled them into.

"Jiji and the Guild will fine with whatever makes us happy." Laxus whispered, pressing a kiss to the other side of her neck.

"And we can buy or build a new place that will make all of us happy." Gajeel rubbed a lock of her hair in his hand.

Shoring up her defenses she asks the question none of them really want to deal with. She can face the sideways looks and the judgement that will come along with being in a permenant relationship with two men. She can even handle the fallout years down the line when they have to explain their relationship to their potential children. There's just one problem…

"What about Natsu?"


	9. Snippet

**Star Light, Star Bright**

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

_A/N: Not really a chapter, just a snippet that takes place between chapters as they deal with the dreaded question: What about Natsu? And Laxus and Gajeel give Lucy something to think about in turn._

**Snippet**

"Natsu's my best friend." Lucy continued softly, her eyes tearing a little as she dropped her gaze. "I just want him to be happy."

"What about you, Lucy?" Laxus moved to stand in front of her and tipped her face up to his own with gentle hands. "Don't you deserve to be happy?"

Lucy felt a lone tear track down her cheek at his question. Doesn't she deserve to be happy? But Natsu is her best friend… She wants him to be happy more than anything.

Moving to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Lightening Slayer, Gajeel tilted her face to face him instead of the massive blonde with one finger under her chin as Laxus relinquished his hold on their mate.

"I think it's time we all got some sleep." He said firmly kissing away her tear. "But here's something to think about, little mate. We," he motioned to himself and Laxus. "Are prepared and willing to share you. We'll do anything to make you happy. Do you honestly think Natsu would be willing to do the same? Really, deep down?"

Picking her up in his studded arms, he set her down carefully on the edge of the massive bed. With Laxus's help the two slayers stripped their luscious little mate before slipping a silky nightgown from her Spirit Virgo over her head and tucking her gently between the sheets at the very center of the bed. It was an indication of her utter exhaustion – both physical and mental – that she let them treat her like a living doll without even the slightest of objections.

Laxus snorted a laugh at the little boxer-briefs Lucy's Spirit provided for himself and Gajeel to sleep in before tossing the metallic grey pair at the Iron Slayer then stripping off, changed into the black pair, finding a small lightning bolt sewn into the waistband.

Without saying another word, instead thinking about all the changes the day brought, Gajeel slipped into bed, cuddling an already-sleeping Lucy into his side. Laxus took her other side, curling an arm around her waist.

Twined together, the three of them fell into a deep, mind-cleansing sleep.


End file.
